Credit: UniversalUniversal Orlando Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, and the entire state of Florida are bracing for the impacts of Hurricane Ian.
Ian has strengthened to a Category 3 Hurricane, and models from the National Weather Service show the storm continuing to strengthen as it approaches the west coast of Florida, potentially making landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane.
Once the hurricane is on land, it is expected to weaken and could be back down to a Category 1 by the time the eye makes its way near Orlando, but all of this is subject to change and there is no way to know what will truly happen until later in the process.
In preparation for the hurricane, Universal Orlando made an announcement today that Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Universal’s Volcano Bay, and Universal CityWalk would all be closed Wednesday, September 28 and Thursday, September 29. The popular Halloween Horror Nights event is also canceled on those two nights.
In addition to the news of closures, Universal Orlando also shared that it is currently operating at “full capacity” in its hotels.
Our hotels are currently at full capacity and will remain operational as they take care of our guests.
Our hotels are currently at full capacity and will remain operational as they take care of our guests.
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) September 27, 2022
Universal Orlando offers three tiers of Resorts with unique benefits: Value Resorts, Prime Value Resorts, and Preferred Resorts.
The Value Resorts are Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites. The Prime Value Resorts are Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. The Preferred Resorts are Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.
Each of the hotels has provisions, including dining areas that will be utilized to provide meals for Guests should they have to shelter in place.
Universal shared that it hopes to reopen its theme parks and CityWalk on Friday, but this will all be dependent on the conditions.
For the latest updates on weather and much more, please visit Universal’s official website.
Inside the Magic will continue to keep you updated on Hurricane Ian, its effects on the Orlando theme parks, and much more.